Thistle and Weed
by AkwardProfessor
Summary: AU.  Detective Maka Albarn was one of the best.  She just couldn't seem to work with anyone.  A new partner and new threat force her to realize she's not alone on the mean streets of Death City.
1. What's a Girl to Do?

Detective Maka Albarn was one of the best. She could face down the most dastardly criminal without flinching. She was smart enough to trick any baddie into giving up or confessing. She could also defend herself and subdue a suspect with minimal effort of damage. In her short career as a detective she never got the wrong man or let the right one get away. Her immense skill on the job coupled with her striking green eyes and long lean frame should have had the other detectives clamoring to partner with her. There was just one small problem.

"What the hell was that rookies?" Maka barked out at her newest partner. It had been a standard Q&A session with the locals to crack a robbery/homicide. The partners had come to a small general store located under the apartment where the incident took place. As they talked to the clerk who had been present the night of the attack, a man in a ski mask had come in and threatened the second clerk still at the register. Maka had whirled gun out, ready to apprehend the would-be thief when her partner, Black-Star, charged the suspect with a yell. The man turned and fled before either detective had a chance to catch him.

"YAHAA!" yelled Black-Star. "He saw my godly self and fled! He knew I was too big of a man for him to deal with!" Black-Star seemed pleased with himself.

"We needed him to talk to us you blithering idiot!" Maka screamed. "He could've been out suspect and you chased him away." Maka was livid. What did she do to deserve such an asinine partner? Sure she was hard on partners but it was a tough world out there. No one was going to place nice just because. And her last four partners had learned she wouldn't either. She needed someone who could hold their own. If she had her way, she'd be starting with a sixth partner soon. This wasn't the first time Black-Star had messed up and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Just get in the car." Maka growled. Black-Star climbed into the passenger side of the black and white Crown Vic still rambling about his 'greatness'. Maka got in on the driver's side after thanking the helpful clerk. As Black-Star was still prattling on about his desire to surpass God, Maka's foot hit the accelerator and the tires squealed as the car rocketed down to the police station.

"Chief," Maka pleaded, leaning on his desk as she stood over it. "You can't keep me with that guy. We'll end up killing each other at some point." Chief Sid Barrett looked up at Maka. He liked her. She was a good, hardworking detective. She just had something against her partners.

"Maka, Maka, Maka… I'll assign Black-Star to a new partner but the case is going with him." Sid sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"What!" Maka exclaimed. "I've been doing all the work on thi-"

"Maka," Sid interrupted. "The only way to do this is if you get desk time. I think it's best." Maka was shocked. Desk time? What had she done? Besides burn through, now five, partners.

"I'm also mandating psych time." Sid broke into Maka's thoughts. Maka sank into the chair in front of the chief's desk. First desk time and now mandatory psych evals? What she going to get fired? All she knew being a detective. As if reading her mind, Sid spoke up.

"I'm not questioning your detective skills Maka." He stated. "I'm a trusting kind of man. You just need to figure out why you can't keep a partner. And yes, you need a partner." He finished as Maka opened her mouth to argue.

"Here are your assignments." He continued, handing the stunned detective a stack of folders stuffed full of papers. "As soon as those are done along with a note from the department psychiatrist, you'll be back out there." Maka's eyes lit up. This would be a challenge. Normally a stack of paper like this would take two weeks to work through. She figured she could do it in a week and a half. One if she brought it home with her.

"10-4 sir." Maka replied with renewed vigor. "I'll call the psychiatrist today." Maka scooped up the folders and marched back to her desk. She glared at Black-Star who sat at his desk with his feet up on it, flirting with the detective next to him, Tsubaki.

"Feet." Maka growled at Black-Star. He chose to ignore her in order to continue 'impressing' Tsubaki. Maka's hand strayed near the dictionary on her desk, wondering if it would be heavy enough to break the idiots head.

"Black-Star. My office. Now!" Sid yelled out from his office, saving Black-Star from Maka's wrath.

"WAHOO!" Black-Star cheered, spinning around to the office. "My greatness has been recognized!" He sauntered off when Sid poked his head out of his office once more.

"Tsubaki! You too." The young woman's eyes went wide and she followed Black-Star into the chiefs office. Maka knew what would happen and felt a little bad for the sweet girl. Tsubaki was a good detective. She could calm people down easily and her smile made people trust her. '_Maybe she could handle Black-Star,_' Maka thought. Maka shook her head, not caring where Black-Star ended up, as long as it wasn't with her. She sat down, pulled out the first folder and started to get to work when a loud "YAHOO!" was heard from the chiefs office. Black-Star burst out of the door and bounded over to his desk in front of Maka.

"See you later you angry tiny-tits!" he yelled. He didn't get to say anything else as Maka had brought that dictionary down on top of his skull.

"I call that the 'Maka Chop'!" She smirked as he held his head in pain. Black-Star shoved all his personal items into a box. As soon as the last pen was thrown in the box, he whirled to plunk his stuff down on the desk directly next to him. Across from Tsubaki, his new partner. Maka heard the squeak of a chair as the woman behind her leaned in to talk.

"Another one bites the dust eh Maka?" Liz asked. She was a touch detective a couple of years older than Maka. She had a 'take no prisoners attitude but a heart of gold. She and her partner Kilik, a suave, loyal man, had been partners from the beginning and formed a masterful team.

"You wouldn't have been able to stand it either." Maka shot back.

"You're right." Liz agreed. "I'd of shot him." Maka deadpanned. Liz wasn't kidding. She may have a heart of gold but she didn't put up with shit. Tsubaki blanched at Liz's words.

"It'll be okay," she said, slightly worried. "Are you sure it's okay Maka?" Maka smiled at her friend. She and Tsubaki had known each other since the academy. Maka liked the girl and often hung out with her after their shifts ended.

"Don't worry Tsubaki. I'm glad the loudmouth is gone." She said with a smirk towards said loudmouth. He stuck his tongue out at her. Maka just turned to smile sweetly at Tsubaki, her hands still around the dictionary she brought down on Black-Star's head.

"What are you going to do about a partner?" Liz asked.

"Once I get this paperwork done, I'm sure one will come along." Maka replied. Truthfully she was a little worried. If she didn't have partner at the end of the desk time, Sid would probably find more work for her to do instead. Maka just smiled at her friends, trying to remain confident. She'd worry about that after her work was done.


	2. Of Psychiatrists and Partners

The next day saw Maka sitting across from the most cheerful lady she had ever met. The woman had sunny blond hair and wore a lot of yellow. The one odd spot was her eye patch. No, scratch that. The immense cheerful attitude billowing off the woman was also odd. How could a psychiatrist be that peppy?

"So Maka," the woman began. "My name is Dr. Marie. Please call me Marie." Maka was absolutely stunned as the woman's large, megawatt smile shone out at her.

"Maka," Marie said, suddenly serious. "You've gone through five partners in two years. You aren't even lasting five months with them. Why?"

"Because they were bad." Maka stated matter of fact.

"But they've all gone off to be successful with other partners." Marie countered. Maka raised an eyebrow. Was this woman insinuating she was the weak link?

"I'm aiming to be the best detective team in this city." Maka explained. "I need a partner that can keep up and certainly not get in my way." Marie nodded, writing something down in the small journal she held in her hand. She leaned forward.

"Why do you want to be the best?" The psychiatrist questioned.

"My mama was the best. I want to surpass her record." Maka stated. Her mother had been a star detective. She could crack just about any case and rarely got hurt in the line of duty. She had fallen in love with her partner and they had Maka. Eventually her partner and husband's cheating became too much and Maka's mother had left. Left her husband, left her daughter, and left the city. Not before she got her partner to the prestigious position of Police Commissioner. At Maka's comment, Marie wrote something else in her journal.

"You don't want to pass your father, the commissioner?" The doctor asked. Maka's face immediately broke into a scowl.

"No." She said bluntly. "I don't need to surpass that useless man." Marie's pen was flying across the journal now. Maka's scowl deepened. "Anyone that cheats or lies is not worthy of the position they cheated or lied to get." Maka spat acridly. Poor Marie was going to need another pen. And another journal at this rate.

"You're a very upstanding detective," Marie commented, hoping to calm the young woman down. It worked. Maka's face no longer bore a deep scowl.

"Yes." Maka agreed. "I worked hard to deserve my position." And Maka did work hard. She graduated top of her class at the academy in both academic and women's fitness. That had helped fast track her to detective status at a young age. She had done is all on her own too. No help from her father.

"That's true," Marie agreed. "I saw in your record you refused all help from your father and told your teachers to ignore him if he went to them." Maka nodded.

"Yes. Like I said, I worked hard to get where I am." Marie jotted things down in her journal for a bit.

"No one can argue with you there Maka," she said as she closed her journal. "Our time is up, but I'd like to see you again next week." Maka sighed.

"Same time?"

"Yes." The doctor confirmed. "I'd like to talk about your mother next time." Maka blinked. Her mother was her inspiration. Her influence helped Maka be disciplined enough to get this far in life. Maybe this psych time would take longer than she anticipated.

One week later, Maka was finishing up the paperwork Sid had given her. It was a financial fraud that laundered money through a website. Maka had organized the finances by products billed for versus products delivered and found massive discrepancies. She was also tasked with writing recommendations for follow up as the case what being handed over to the FBI. The police force of Death City didn't have the man power or facilities to cover the case. The fact that it crossed state lines made a federal case and FBI jurisdiction anyway. Maka was finishing up the recommendations when Sid called her into his office.

"Maka, come here immediately." Sid's head disappeared back into his office. Maka minimized the word document on her computer and walked off to the office.

"What's up?" she asked, closing the door behind her. "I'm almost done the paperwork you requested." She was smiling at her success. Sure it had eater up a few of her nights and maybe her day off, but it was done.

"This is your new partner." Sid barked. Maka's smile fled her face. Her new 'partner' was a young guy, maybe a year or two older than her 26. He had shocking white, shaggy hair and bright red eyes. He could've been an albino except that his skin was tanner than her own pale white.

"What?" She asked flatly. Her partner grinned at the expression on her face, showing off jagged teeth. Maka scowled and narrowed her eyes at Sid.

"Meet Soul 'Eater' Evans." Sid explained. "Your newest, and last, partner."

"Last…partner….?" Maka said breathlessly. What was Sid talking about? More importantly, what was Sid thinking? How was she going to partner up with a hooligan?

"Yes." Sid commented rustling through his desk for papers. "Eater is a good detective from Homicide. We can use him here at Major Case. Since you're the only one without a partner; have fun." Sid dismissed them both with a wave of his hand. As Maka led Soul to his new desk, Sid was still searching his desk for a wayward paper.

"Here's your desk," Maka said with a sweep of her arm towards the desk across from her own. Soul dropped his box of personal effects on the desk and started setting up. Maka sat down at her desk, brought her recommendations back up and got to work again as Soul was unpacking. Five minutes later, she was printing off her paper, stapling the packets together and passing in her assignment.

"Here Sid. I'm done." Maka said as she slung the folders back onto Sid's desk. She was still a little distracted by Sid's comment of 'last partner'.

"What did you mean by 'last partner'?" She asked. Sid looked up at her over the stack of paper she had just deposited on his desk.

"I mean, he's your last partner. No more coming in here pleading for a new one. If you can't work it out with Eater, you either suffer through it the rest of your career, or you leave Major Case." Sid explained. Maka was flabbergasted. She was stuck with Soul.

"Just watch Maka, this'll be good for you." Sid commented as he watched his detectives face go from pale to snow white. Maka shuffled out into the common room with all the desks again. She plunked herself down on her chair and stared off into the distance behind Soul's bright white hair. Her new partner saw the dazed look on her face and couldn't help but comment.

"You pregnant?" He asked. The only time he saw a face like that was when his cousin Elli had gotten pregnant.

"What? No!" Maka exclaimed, coming back to earth. "I just got some startling news is all." She looked at the clock and jumped. "Oh no! I'm gonna be late!" She grabbed her coat of the back of her chair and ran out of the room while putting it on. Soul just watched on in confusion and mild amusement.


	3. Getting into the Meat of Things

"So Maka, how has your week been?" Dr. Marie was once again dressed in bright yellow clothes with her eye patch solidly in place. This week she had added a little bit of black in her outfit with stripes of it on her pants. Maka was again on her spot on the couch. She had discovered the fringes of one of the pillows felt nice twirled around her fingers.

"My week had been good." Maka replied. "I finished paperwork faster than I expected." Maka was still proud of herself for blazing through the paperwork. Her thoughts then turned to her new partner and a frown replaced the smile.

"Something wrong Maka?" Marie asked. She noted something down in her new journal.

"No, nothing. I just met my new partner today." Maka replied. She didn't really want to talk about this but she knew better than to keep anything from the psychiatrist. As much as Marie wanted Maka to like her, Maka knew it was her job and if anything seemed off in their visits, the doctor could yank Maka off the force.

"Oh, how are you feeling about that?" Marie asked, poised to jot down as much as she could. This wasn't lost on Maka.

"I haven't had time to formulate anything." She spat out. "I just met him fifteen minutes before coming here." Marie still wrote a couple of lines in her journal.

"I said I wanted to talk about your mother today, Maka. And I still do," the psychiatrist said. Maka sighed. It could be worse.

"When you think of your mother, what is the first memory that comes to mind?" Marie asked. Maka sat and thought for a second. The first memory that comes to mind? That would be her parents fighting. Why couldn't the psych ask about her favorite memory? That one was easier to talk about.

"The first memory? That would be my parents fighting when I was little." Maka replied.

"Oh?" Maries eyebrows shot up. "Tell me about that memory. Why they were fighting?"

"Well," Maka began. "It was my eighth birthday and I wanted a party. My mama planned for weeks to make is special and my papa didn't help at all. On the day of the party, my papa disappeared early in the day. My mama was sad but she kept going with party preparations and set everything up outside. All my friends and their parents came over and the party was fun. But after the cake was cut, my papa came back. I didn't know what was wrong with him at the time but he was stumbling and ended up falling over into a table of food and knocked it over. A woman came running around the fence, apologizing profusely. She said that he had run out of the club and came straight over here. She just kept apologizing over and over. My mama sat there as still as a rock. Eventually she smiled and asked the woman to bring him back to the club. She laughed as she said that they should lock him away next time. The woman from the club laughed and dragged my papa out. Everyone left pretty much immediately. Mama just cried and cried while she was picking everything up. She made me my favorite dinner that night, tucked me in, and told me she loved me. That was the last time I saw her. The next day, my papa was back home in his bed and my mama was gone."

Maka sat with her fingers wrapped in the fringe of the throw pillow she clutched close to her. She hadn't even noticed hugging it while she was telling her story. It always hurt to talk about the day her mother left. She never celebrated another birthday after that either.

"How do you feel about that day Maka?" Marie asked, her voice was soft but her eyes were piercing. She locked eyes with Maka's green ones and it's like the psychiatrist could see into Maka's soul.

"It still hurts," Maka whispered. Eighteen years later and Maka still felt like the little eight year old girl who woke up and couldn't find her mother. "I couldn't find my mama." Marie nodded.

"Are you angry about that?" She asked. Maka's eyes left the doctors.

"Angry at my papa." Maka spat as she glared at a spot to the left of the doctors foot.

"Why?" Marie prodded. She noted the flash in Maka's eyes as she heard the question.

"Because it's his fault!" Maka exclaimed. "If he hadn't gone out cheating and lying, mama wouldn't have left." Marie sighed and wrote in her journal once more before closing it.

"Thank you Maka." She said, getting up from here chair across from the couch Maka sat on. "Our time is up, but you've done well today. Thank you for talking about that with me. I'll see you next week." Maka stood up from the couch. She didn't respond to the doctor. She was still thinking about their conversation. There was one question she found herself asking time and time again, usually when her birthday came around. Why hadn't her mother taken her when she left? Why had her mother left eight year old Maka with a womanizing, lying, cheater or a man? Maka pulled on her jacket and walked out to her car without saying anything to Marie, too lost in her own thoughts. Marie just sighed as she watched the young woman. She opened up her journal and wrote a little bit more before going to greet her next client with a large smile.

Three days into their partnership and Maka didn't hate Soul. Yet. As soon as Maka got back from the psychiatrists that first day they had picked up a series of murders that all had the same MO. All of the victims were tall women with long dark brown hair and bright brown eyes. They were found in the same park near the shopping district of Death City with their hands and feet bound. There was no sign of sexual assault and the bodies had been tortured. By talking to the families of the victims they discovered all three women were regulars at one gym near their homes. A man at the gym had recently been dumped by his long term lover for a girl who looked like the victims. He suffered a mental breakdown and started to lash out at women fitting that description. Maka and Soul had made the connection and were able to stop him in time before he killed again. Maka had been impressed by the way Soul focused on the case and stopped to think before doing anything rash. There was even one point where Maka had gotten confused and Soul was able to figure out the next step. She didn't want to, but she thanked him for guidance at that part. Perhaps this partnership would work out.

"Chief!" Maka said as she burst through the doors of the chief's office. "I have the pap-"

"MAKA-CHAN!" The redheaded man in the room launched himself at the young detective. His crushing embrace effectively silenced her words and her arms were pinned to her sides, disabling her getaway method. Soul, standing next to Maka was completely caught off guard. He grabbed the folder out of her hands, placed it deliberately on the chief's desk, and hauled the man clinging to his partner by the collar of his jacket. The man made to jump back on Maka but Soul held him firmly back. Maka just ignored the man.

"Why is he here?" she directed her question to Sid.

"There have been three murders in connection with the gang Kishin." Sid explained. "The commissioner is here to talk about the case."

"Maka-chan! Papa is so happy to see you!" the redheaded man still held back by Soul exclaimed. Soul's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Maka however, was at the end of her rope. She grabbed a police procedure book off of Sid's desk and brought it crashing down on her father's head. He was out cold by the time he hit the floor.

"Sir, we don't handle gang killings." Maka sighed, still refusing to acknowledge the man unconscious on the floor.

"We do when it's the gang being killed." Sid explained. "Since you two are here, and you have no active cases, I'm putting you on it as lead." Maka was excited. First a not-shitty partner, now a high-profile case. This week was looking up.

"However," Sid continued, fixing Maka first, then Soul with a piercing stare. "I expect the entire force to help out here." Both young detectives realized how serious he was.

"Yes sir," they both chorused. Stepping over the redheaded man still unconscious on the floor, they headed back to their desks to start pulling the information together.

"One more thing," Sid yelled to them as they headed out. "Head down to the coroner to get his reports. He hasn't sent them up yet."

"Yes sir," they both repeated. The two brand new partners grabbed their coats and headed off, down to the coroners.


	4. Bodies and Bonding

Dr. Stein was an odd man. For one, he had a very large screw stuck through his head. Maka realized that it couldn't actually be stuck through his head. But it certainly seemed that way. When he would eerily turn the large nob of it, the other end seemed to move as well. Maka quickly schooled her face into a polite and bland smile.

"Doctor," she began, "what can you tell us about the victims." Dr. Stein swiveled in his chair, his arms resting on the back of it, so that he could address the two detectives to their face. His smile grew large. Much larger than Maka thought was appropriate when talking about dissecting someone.

"Well," he began, "they died of exsanguination. They bleed out. But not before someone tortured them within an inch of their life." His smile seemed to grow as he remembered performing the autopsies. "After death is where the odd part came in." He got up and gestured them over to the body fridge. Opening a door, he slid the table out with a body still covered in a sheet.

"Look," he explained, pulling the sheet back. "After they died, the attacker sliced them open. Then rooted around inside them like they were looking for something." Maka and Soul just stared at the doctor. Their polite, bland smiles gone and in place was a horrified look as they realized the type of person they'd be searching for.

"Looking for something?" Maka squeaked. She thought she might barf soon.

"Yes!" Dr. Stein exclaimed. "The marks they used to open the body are harsh. I highly doubt the attacker has had any medical experience. It also appears that they simply reached into the body cavity and started feeling around." That was it, Maka was gonna hurl.

"What would you say they were looking for Doctor?" Soul asked quietly. The coroner looked up at Soul and the harsh lights in the morgue glinted off his glasses, coupled with his now maniacal grin, Maka's breath caught in her throat.

"I'm not sure." He replied. "Everything's still there. Just in pieces. It seems the attacker got angry at not finding what they wanted and tore everything up." His grin still hadn't left his face. Maka was genuinely considering running any second now. How had she been nabbed for psychological evaluations and this guys was still here?

"Thank you Doctor." Soul said stiffly. "Do you have official reports for all of this?" The Doctors grin did seem to fade at that. He stripped his hands of their gloves and walked over to his desk. Returning with three folders, he handed them to Soul. The maniacal grin did broaden now.

"I'll be sure to get those to you should anymore come in" Stein laughed. Maka noticed how he seemed to look forward to more bodies.

"Thank you," she managed to get out. Grabbing Soul's arm she practically dragged him out of the coroner's office and back onto the sunshine lit streets. Once they were safely outside and away from the crazy doctor, Maka released Soul's arm.

"That man is crazy." Soul stated with finality.

"This isn't going to be a fun case is it?" Maka asked. She started walking back to the station. Soul knew better than to answer, and just followed after his partner. Both were quiet on the walk back to the station, deep within their own thoughts. As they drew closer to the station, Maka wrapped her jacket closer around her.

"I think I'm gonna call it a day." She quietly told Soul. "I'm going to grab the files for this case and review them at home where I can curl up if it gets too disturbing." Maka knew she was tough. She never shied away from a dangerous situation. But there was something psychological cases that disturbed her. To think of rooting around in a dead body, especially a body that you just dispatched speaks to a very tweaked mind indeed. It didn't escape Maka that as she was going through her own psych evaluation, she'd be passing judgment on someone who clearly was going through some very dark psychological times.

"Wanna grab lunch together first?" Soul asked, breaking into her thoughts. At his words, Maka's stomach growled. She saw the smirk that crossed her partners face as he heard her stomach. Well, it was only 1pm. And she last ate at 7am before dashing out to work.

"Sure." She smiled at him. "Where to?" Soul smiled down at her. He was about five inches taller than her. With a nod of his head, he directed her down a small street, around a couple of corners, and through, what she was positive was a drug alley. They came out in front of a small building.

"The best Irish food I know," Soul said. "It's like comfort food in a way." Maka was dubious about the place. It was small. It was a little shabby looking with paint half chipped away. She was positive the shutters were leaning too. It looked dark in the small restaurant and Maka would've passed it by in a second. Before she could do just that, Soul took her elbow and led her in the door.

"Magda!" He called out. "It's Soul!" A large elderly woman walked out from behind a small but clean bar. She was a large woman. Tall and wide and she looked like she could easily hold her own in any fight. She was wearing a long dress and a dirty apron over the dress. As she saw Soul, her face broke into a smile.

"Hey there boy!" She said with a thick Irish accent as directed the two to a small table near the middle of the restaurant. "You brought a pretty girl in here this time. That's good" She nudged Soul with her elbow while putting the menu's down in front of them. Maka blushed slightly. To hide it, she buried her face behind the menu. Maka was sure Madge noticed as she chuckled and walked away. Maka had never really eaten anything more Irish than corned beef so the menu full of traditional Irish dishes was a little foreign to her. Finally she settled on Boxty, a potato pancake, wrapped around sliced beef and served with fresh steamed veggies. Her decision made, Maka placed the menu down on the table and looked around the restaurant. It was dark inside, but clean and cozy. The color schemed seemed to be dark green and dark, rich woods. A variety of small paintings hung on the wall depicting rural, farm scenes.

"What did you decide on?" Soul asked, tearing her attention away from the paintings on the wall.

"I think I'll try the potato pancake thing, uh, boxty." Maka replied. Her eyes widened as she saw Soul flinch. "What? Are they bad?"

"No no, they're good. You just pronounced them wrong." He clarified. "It's pronounced 'back-stay'." He smiled at the look of concentration on her face.

"Bawk-ste?" She tried.

"Back-stay" He said again. She frowned a bit as he repeated it slower.

"Bawk-stay" She tried again.

"Close enough," He smiled as she still frowned mumbling the word under breath. Magda had heard them and come over to take their orders.

"I'll just have the stew of the day and bread please Magda." Soul ordered, nudging Maka with his foot under the table to bring her back to reality.

"What? Oh!" she finally noticed Magda waiting for her order. "Sorry, I'll have the 'back-stay'. Please" she ordered looking at Soul who nodded in confirmation. She flashed a smile at Magda who laughed.

"Good job on the pronunciation there girly. Was the boy teaching you?" Maka nodded. Magda laughed again. "Good job boy." She collected their menus and walked away. Maka looked over the table at Soul who was just watching her.

"How did you know how to pronounce that?" she inquired. "Did Magda teach you?" Soul smirked.

"Nah," he drawled in a convincing Irish accent. Maka's eyes went wide. "Comes with the territory. My family is a big Irish family. My dad came right off the boat."

"That is so cool!" Maka exclaimed. "Why did he come over?"

"They're big musicians, my family." Soul said, no longer in the accent. "My father is a famous cello player. My mother is a soprano singer, and my brother plays the violin." Magda returned to the table with glasses of water for the two of them. Maka thanked her and turned her attention back to Soul, waiting for him to continue. He casually sipped his water, glancing at her.

"What?" He finally asked. Her gaze had never wavered off him. He was starting to understand what it felt like to be a suspect in the custody of one Maka Albarn.

"What do you play?" Maka asked innocently. Soul winced.

"I used to play piano." He replied slowly. Maka was impressed. When she was younger her mother had tried to get her into music and put her in a piano class. After three classes where Maka came home crying because she was so frustrated, her mother pulled her from the class and musical talent was never brought up again in the household.

"That's cool." She said. No need to bring up her own devastating ineptitude in all area's musical. "Why'd you join the force?"

"I just felt like doing something with my life." Soul responded. "I didn't want to just make music and be a pretty little addition to something. I wanted to actively affect things around me." Maka watched as his eyes grew softer as he was no doubt remembering the past. There was a comfortable lull in the conversation and Magda came over with their food.

"Enjoy you two. It's on the house today." She said, to the gasps and refusals of the two. "No, no," she continued. "Really, I made too much, so thanks for eating it." She smiled and walked away, content to let them eat and enjoy their break.


	5. A Muddled Mind

Lunch had been a good break for Maka. She had gotten to know more about her partner. He was in fact three years older than her at 29. He chose to join the academy at 18 and worked his way up through the ranks with good work but he was a bit lazy. He had actually called it laid back and easy going. He lived in an apartment on the west end of town, where rent was cheaper. He had one dog named Wasabi because Japanese food was his favorite, though he had a soft spot for good Irish food. He had said that last bit quickly as Magda had come back around asking if they needed anything. Maka had filled him in with anything he wanted to know about her, but steered the conversation clear of her father or family life. She couldn't really stop him the one time it did come up though.

"So your father is the commissioner?" Soul had asked, in between spoonfuls of a hearty beef stew. Maka sighed.

"Yes," she said dejectedly. "But I've been ignoring him for a while now. I got where I am based on my own work." She didn't want her partner to think she was some pampered little girl who rode her daddy's coat tails. Something in her eyes must have gotten through to him as he let the subject drop, and moved on to other topics. Sitting in her living room, she replayed that scene a couple of times in her head. There was no disbelief in his eyes as she vehemently denied using her father's connections to get a job. She thought she had seen, understanding. But how would he understand? No matter, she could figure it out later.

Picking up the folder with the earliest date, Maka read about the first murder. All of the details noted and comments made by the crazy coroner infused themselves into Maka's brain. She continued on to the next three folders, reviewing all the information they contained and committing it to memory. Closing the final folder, she stretched her back. The information on the case was disturbing. This, person, seemed to want to watch his or her victims bleed and suffer. There was no overt cause of death besides bleeding out. The more she read, the more Maka realized that the attack never meant to kill anyone. It was about the torture. Or was it about the exploration of the body?

"Subject shows crude cuts along various muscles and ligaments in appendages. Some dissection appears to have taken place." Stein's notes were meticulous and unadorned. His personal thoughts didn't enter the observations. Maka placed the folders containing the autopsy reports on her coffee table and brought her knees up to her chest on the couch. The depravity depicted in the attacks left her chilled, but also excited. This would be a good case; a good hunt for a madman.

"Hoooahh!" Maka said out loud to herself. No time to sit around and get dreamy over a meaty case. There were still personnel files to go through, a timeline to establish, a perimeter to hopefully bang out, and then she could start on predictions in order to catch the attacker before he struck again. Maka pulled her ashy blonde hair up into a ponytail and reached for background information on the victims when her phone rang.

"Hello?" Maka answered. "Oh, hi Mama." She nodded her head as her mother spoke.

"Yes Mama, I'm doing well. No, Papa's not bothering me. Yes, I have a new partner. Yes, I have a case." Maka absentmindedly started to play with the corner of the throw pillow next to her feet.

"Don't worry Mama; I know what I'm doing. Okay Mama, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Hanging up the phone, Maka leaned back on the couch. A call from her mother always distracted her. She had forgotten to ask her mama where she was again. Oh well. There'd be another time. Maka was too distracted to get back into reading up on the case. Whatever she read now, she'd never remember. It was always that way after her mother called. Stretching as she got off the couch, she grabbed her phone to call Tsubaki.

"Hey Tsubaki." Maka said, as the woman answered the phone. "I was wondering if you were free and wanted to hit the gym? Mhmm. Alright! I'll see you there in ten minutes!" Maka hung up the phone, quickly darting into her room to change.

Twenty minutes later, Maka and Tsubaki were running side by side on treadmills. They didn't talk on the treadmills; there would be time for that after. Running helped Maka sort her thoughts out and Tsubaki often complained that she didn't like working out alone. A solid three mile push was all she needed to sort her mind out. She'd talk with Tsubaki, go home and shower, then be able to focus on her paperwork. Maybe she'd order takeout when she got hungry. Eighteen minutes later, Maka finished up her third mile. She was panting and sweating, her face was beet red from the effort. Three miles in twenty eight minutes. Maka couldn't keep the smile off her face. That was a new record for her. Tsubaki finished out the last two minutes as Maka stepped off her machine and wiped it down. Tsubaki always went for the time while Maka focused on distance. The two women walked to the small lounge and just sat for a while; collecting their thoughts and slowing their heart beats.

"How's Black-Star working out as a partner?" Maka asked, leaning back in her chair. She was curious to see how the mild mannered woman would work with the brash man.

"It's actually been really nice." Tsubaki replied with a soft blush. "He's really confident and strong." Maka was surprised there was something nice to say about the man. He had just annoyed her.

"Well, that's good I guess." She said, taking a drink from a water bottle. Tsubaki beamed across from her. "Anyway, it's better you have him than I do." Tsubaki nodded at Maka's words.

"I think this Soul guy is good for you. He seems like he won't let you push him around." Tsubaki laughed at Maka's face. She had gone bright red and her eyebrows snapped together angrily.

"Whatever," Maka grumbled as she realized Tsubaki had been teasing her. She had been easy on Soul lately. She guessed it had something to do with the way he helped her with the murderer from the gym. He had been the one to discover that all three women took an aerobics class with the same man, albeit at different times. She couldn't believe she had over looked it. Well, she had been nice to him long enough. Now it would be time to see what he could really do.

"….so if you're free tonight, want to check it out with us?" Tsubaki asked, breaking into Maka's thoughts. Maka froze, caught not paying attention.

"Uh, sure?" She replied, not exactly sure what she was getting herself into. "Where was it again, I spaced a bit." She smiled, hoping to fool Tsubaki. It seemed to work.

"Down at the bar Smitey's!" the older woman chirped. Seeing the excited look on her face, Maka grew worried. "You can even invite Soul along! It would be a good chance for him to bond with everyone!"

"Alright," Maka agreed. "Sounds good. What time are we meeting there?"

"Nine o'clock should be a good time!" Tsubaki seemed really excited about this.

"This isn't a dance club right Tsubaki? I'm not a dancing type of girl. And I don't want to be out all hours of the night." Maka warned. Tsubaki was never this excited about a regular bar. The woman loved to go out dancing despite her calm, gentle ways.

"No no, I promise it's a simple bar Maka." Tsubaki reassured. Maka was still wary, but pulled out her phone to text her partner.

'Tonight. 9pm. Smitey's. Alright?' She was always quick and efficient with her texts. In little time her phone buzzed, indicating she received a reply.

'Sure.' Well. That was easy enough.

"Soul says he can make it." Maka informed Tsubaki. The woman's face lit up.

"Great! I'll tell the others!" Tsubaki pulled out her phone and immediately began typing a message to numerous people. It was four o'clock now. Maka had seen the woman work before and was positive she could pull half of the entire Death City police force out to this one bar in five hours.

"I'm gonna head back home and keep working on the case I have there." Maka informed Tsubaki, standing up and stretching. "Don't worry; I'll see you down there at nine o'clock." Tsubaki just flashed Maka a grin to indicate she heard her. She was absorbed in hauling everyone possible out tonight. Maka picked up her jacket off the back of her chair and headed out of the gym. Tsubaki sat back in her chair, happily talking away on the phone to Liz, who was another force in dragging people out of their homes to drink and mingle. As Maka walked off, she was already back in detective mode. A good run always tidied her mind up.


	6. Run Away to Fight Back

**I was away this weekend with no internet. A lot of time to just write lol. Also thank you for all the reviews so far. They have all made me ridiculously happy :D**

How did she let herself get dragged into this again? Oh that's right, she wasn't paying attention when Tsubaki asked earlier at the gym. Mental note; never space out when Tsubaki is talking to you. It could be very hazardous for your health. Maka wasn't against going out and having a drink to wind down. She could handle it. But this. This was a different story. The music was painfully loud, the beer was terribly expensive, and the waitresses all had tiny, cleavage bearing tops on and low riding pants that showed a tantalizing bit of skin. This was not Maka's type of bar.

She had met up with Soul around 8:45pm prior to heading to said 'bar'. She had explained the situation; she wasn't sure what she had agreed to. Soul had just chuckled at her, but now he too was wincing, sipping his beer.

"When can we leave?" Soul asked, leaning down to speak directly into her ear. He had been standing next to her the entire time. That only meant about half a beer, but it had taken a good fifteen minutes to drink that half a beer.

"After this beer?" She offered. She knew it was a good opportunity for Soul to mingle with the guys on the force but this environment could not be conducive to relationship building. She looked right to watch her partner and saw him take a large swig of his beer. He smirked at her when he noticed her looking.

"You said after the beer right? You never said I couldn't finish it now." He quipped, downing the rest of his beer and slamming the glass down on a table next to him. He eyed her. "Drink up." She looked at the remainder of her beer and slammed it back, all in one go. She slammed her glass down right next to his and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"Now we just have to sneak out without Tsubaki catching us." She whispered directly into his ear conspiratorially.

"Take evasive action." He replied, grabbing her hand. Together they managed to sneak, dodge, and roll their way out of the bar and into the crisp night air. Maka couldn't help but clutch her sides and laugh after they had made it about a block away. A safe distance. She looked up to see Soul with a large smile on his face.

"Thanks partner." She said, extending her hand. "Glad to know you have my back running from a tricky situation." Soul shook her hand gravely.

"I'll help you escape that anytime." Smiling, they bid each other good night and walked off in different directions.

Thanks to their early departure the night before had allowed Maka to get to bed early enough to wake up at 6am. She read the personnel files from the three victims and discovered a link. They all had contact with the group Arachnophobia prior to their death. This was a good lead. Arachnophobia billed themselves as a legitimate car garage, but for years they had been on the police radar for illegal activity. Drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, fraud, and kidnapping were just some of the charges that hadn't stuck to the group. If the Kishin gang was somehow connected to the Arachnophobia, things could get tricky. Maybe a member of Arachnophobia was the attacker and the Kishin members had just been collateral damage of gang relations.

All of this was running through her head as she rode the subway to the police station. It was packed at this time of the morning and Maka found herself standing, grabbing a handhold, squished between a middle age business man and two teenagers making out on their way to school. As the cars flew around corners, Maka felt the business man pushing against her more and more.

'_If this is a molester, I'm gon-!"_ Maka's thoughts were cut off as the train rounded yet another sharp corner and she felt the telltale grope of a large male hand. It was a firm grasp, cupping her cheek and as much as she wanted to, Maka couldn't brush it off as an accident. He actually had the audacity to squeeze for the love of Death. Maka's bright red face matched the shade she was currently seeing. Quick as a whip, she reached down and grabbed the perpetrators wrist, twisting it as she brought it up and behind him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She whispered fiercely in his ear.

"I-i-it w-w-was an a-accident!" Maka twisted his arm more. "I swear! I'm sorry!" The man pleaded. He couldn't see her face but he could probably sense the dangerous aura swirling off her.

"That was no fucking accident." Maka growled out. "You squeezed." She reached behind her for handcuffs before she remembered they were at the office, in her desk drawer. This was the last time she'd walk around without them.

"My name is Detective Maka Albarn. I will be taking you downtown and booking you. You do not just go around groping women because you feel like it!" She felt a dark satisfaction when she saw his face pale at the word 'detective'. "Do not make me force you." She ground out, her voice dark and threatening. The man was too scared for words at this point and simply nodded. The train lurched to a stop and Maka forced the man out of the car. They were two stops down from the police station, but if she remembered correctly, this is where Kid and Patty would be grabbing breakfast before their shift ended in a couple hours. Walking up the stairs to daylight, she flipped her phone out and dialed Kid.

"Kid, are you getting breakfast? Good. Wait for me. One minute." She shut the phone without so much as a 'goodbye' and marched the man forward, his hand still backwards and up by his shoulder. He was still clutching his briefcase in his other hand.

"Yo." Kid said as she excited the subway exit. He was in a perfectly symmetrical uniform and perfectly symmetrical hat. Maka knew the hat hid the man's unsymmetrical hair. His partner Patty stood next to him, shorter than him and in an asymmetrical uniform. Her short blonde hair, the same shade as her sister Liz, was out on display as Maka saw her hat on the dashboard of their car. Kid had been the only partner of Maka's that left of his own volition. His OCD about symmetry had run rampant and for some reason Patty was the only one who could keep it under control. Probably because in his tantrums, Patty scared the living daylights out of him. He and Maka had remained friends after their break.

"What did he do?" Patty asked. Kid noticed the look on Maka's face and brought his handcuffs out from behind him.

"Groped me. On the subway." Patty's good natured smile was replaced with one eerily similar to the maniacal grin Maka had seen on Dr. Stein.

"You like assaulting women?" She asked, cocking her head to the side and staring at him. The man thought Maka had been his biggest worry, but now he realized she was handing him off to the devil. Kid's eyes narrowed as he grabbed the man's other arm to handcuff him.

"Ahhh what beautiful symmetry!" He exclaimed as the handcuffs were snapped into place.

"Kid." barked Patty.

"Sorry," he replied. "Groping women is a form of sexual assault." He told the man. Leading him to the waiting police cruiser, Kid read the groper his rights.

"Are you gonna be alright Maka?" Patty asked, concern in her eyes now that she was no longer out for blood. "I can rough him up a bit at booking." Maka smiled a little at that.

"I'm alright Patty. Don't worry. I'm just going to walk to the station from here. To cool down you know?" Patty nodded.

"Kid and I will take care of this!" The woman slid into the passenger seat and Maka heard her growl to the man to shut up as he was trying to worm his way out of his predicament. Maka shook her head and started off down the street to the police station.

She hadn't calmed down at all and the entire way, she raged silently at the injustice in the world. All men were dirty low-life pigs who were only interested in getting their dick wet or getting more money. She hadn't met a man in all her life that wasn't a complete waste of space or air. She conveniently forgot about Chief Sid who always looked out for her and accommodated her partner troubles; Kid Death who was always there to look after her or listen to her if she was in trouble; Kilik who had never abandoned Liz and always did his job; or Soul who as of yet, hadn't been distracted or let her down.

She mainly focused on her father. The man she blamed for pushing her mama away, the man she blamed for having to grow up too soon. She heard all his proclamations. He loved her and mama the most. She didn't understand how he could say that to her face then turn around as say it to his woman of the week. She had long ago stopped believing anything that came out of that man's mouth.

By now, Maka had reached the station. Kid and Patty had arrived before her by virtue of a car and the word of her incident had spread through the building. She heard the whispers as she entered the building, and as she scanned her way through security checks. By the time she reached the Major Case common room she was absolutely livid.

"HEARD YOU FINALLY GOT SOME ACTION!" Black-Star yelled as Maka burst through the doors. "TOOK YOU LO-!" He never finished his sentence as Maka brought her trusty dictionary down on his head. Like her father, he was out cold before he hit the ground. The room had gone silent when she walked in, and now thanks to Black-Star, everyone was looking at her.

"What?" She spat out. No one moved. Then Kilik walked over to her. Gingerly, as though he was afraid she would bite it off; he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, if you want to talk about it, or need a sparring partner, I'll be there for you," he offered. Maka looked up into his eyes and knew that he was being serious and true. She was still too angry to accept it.

"Yea whatever," she said, shrugging his hand off. He seemed relieved, as he knew it could've gone much worse. "Get back to fucking work!" Maka screamed at the rest of the crew in the room. Stomping over to her desk, she violently yanked open the lowest drawer on her desk and grabbed a pair of handcuffs. Never. Again.

"Hey." Maka looked up into the deep red eyes of Soul 'Eater' Evans. In his hands, he held copies of the personnel files he had read.

"What do you want?" Maka snapped. She still wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone of the male variety.

"I noticed that all of the victims were alone when they were attacked. One of them, Al Capone had just left a few of his friends when he was jumped. I thought we should go talk to them." Soul explained carefully. Maka blinked. He wanted to get back to work. Good. That's what she needed in a partner. No bullshit.

"Good idea. Let's go."


End file.
